He says while everyone has the right to an opinion, some opinions can become "extremely dangerous"
“It’s OK to disagree with someone’s views but it’s never OK to disrespect the person” – a quote that sums up Dino Pacella’s (pictured) view of those who levy hatred on social media. The national partnership manager at Simplicity Loans & Advisory, and well-known broker advocate, told MPA he was shocked to find out that FBAA managing director Peter White AM had been subjected to personal and derogatory comments following his call for brokers to get vaccinated.
“After seeing Peter White express his views on getting vaccinated against COVID-19, I was appalled to hear that there were expressions of hatred directed towards him,” he said. “We know that deciding to get vaccinated is a personal choice and one that is voluntary, and so too is expressing your view on this hotly discussed topic.
“But does your view extend to portraying hatred and disgust towards another human, regardless of your current situation? I sure as hell don’t think it does.”
While everyone has the right to an opinion, not all opinions are equally valid, he said.
“The right to have an opinion does not automatically give you the right to be listened to as some opinions are hurtful,” he said. “Some opinions can go well beyond a simple disagreement and become extremely dangerous. All you need to do is look into online bullying and see what a disastrous effect this has had on many people, especially our children.
“I’m unsure what people receive from throwing hurtful comments at others, especially when it’s someone who values what you do as a profession.”
As reported on Monday, FBAA managing director Peter White told MPA that he had received personal and derogatory comments from some members of the mortgage industry after he publicly urged brokers to consider their duty of care to clients and vaccinate against COVID-19. Some of these were posted on his LinkedIn page, prompting him to delete and block connections.
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Pacella threw his support behind White, saying, “Peter is spot on with deleting and blocking the people online who get too personal and derogatory.”
“There’s no place for this in our society and definitely not in our industry,” he said. “I’d recommend taking a screenshot of any harmful comments, irrespective of the social platform, and reporting the person through the right channels.
“We need to stamp this out. It’s not on and there needs to be consequences here.”
